KSA Finds 41% of Young Adult Gambling Accounts Held by 18-Year-Olds

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Altay Celikkaya

Content Manager

Updated: 21/08/26

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Netherlands Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit, KSA) published three studies examining young-adult gambling, participation among vocational students, and exposure to gambling before age 18. The research found that 41% of young-adult accounts in the analysed dataset were held by 18-year-olds, with many opened on or shortly after the account holder’s birthday. These findings provide new evidence to inform protections for minors and adults aged 18 to 24. The KSA will consider additional measures to reduce gambling-related harm among these groups.

Dutch flag pin placed on a map of the Netherlands, illustrating KSA research into young-adult gambling behaviour.

Regulation & Compliance

Key Findings From the KSA’s Youth Gambling Research

Young adults accounted for 33% of the active new accounts in the main dataset, while 18-year-olds represented 41% of the young-adult segment.
An average of 11% of accounts belonging to 18-year-olds were opened on their birthday and 38% within one month of turning 18.
Casino games, rather than sports betting, were the most common entry point into regulated online gambling.
The findings sharpen the focus on early intervention, underage exposure, and protections for vulnerable customers.

Account Creation Peaks Around the 18th Birthday

The KSA analysed accounts opened with licensed Dutch online operators between 1 and 7 May 2025. Of 16,266 new accounts, 15,761 showed gambling activity during May and were included in the analysis. Young adults aged 18 to 24 held 5,244 of these accounts, including 2,144 held by 18-year-olds.

Additional data from selected months in 2024 and 2025 showed that an average of 11% of accounts held by 18-year-olds were opened on their birthday, while 38% were created within one month of turning 18.

The regulator said earlier exposure to gambling may help explain the concentration of registrations around this age but presented this as a possible explanation rather than a confirmed causal relationship. The findings form part of a wider data-led approach to player protection in the Netherlands, which has also produced an open-source model for detecting risky gambling behaviour from actual account activity.

Casino Games Dominate Early Online Play

The study did not support the KSA’s earlier assumption that sports betting is a common gateway to online casino products. Approximately 72% of young-adult accounts began with casino games only, while 11% started exclusively with sports betting.

Activity levels among young adults were similar to those of customers aged 24 and over, with both groups gambling on approximately four days per month during the first three months of a new account. However, 18-year-olds gambled on more days than customers aged 19 to 24 but staked less money per account.

Median stakes during the first gambling month stood at €111 per gambling day for young adults, compared with €209 for customers aged 24 and over. Within the younger segment, the median was €88 for accounts belonging to 18-year-olds and €193 for those held by customers aged 19 to 24.

These patterns underscore operators’ duty to identify risky behaviour early. The KSA has previously taken enforcement action over player-protection failures involving young customers with high losses, underlining the regulatory consequences of delayed or inadequate intervention.

Underage Exposure Extends Beyond Online Accounts

The KSA’s findings indicate that gambling exposure often begins before legal access to online products. Young people reported encountering scratchcards, lotteries, and informal betting through family members or friends. Some minors also accessed online gambling through accounts held by older relatives or acquaintances.

A separate analysis of 29,724 vocational, or MBO, students found that 32% had gambled during the previous 12 months. The rate was 28% among students aged 15 to 17 and 39% among adult students. The KSA cautioned that the dataset was not representative of all Dutch minors, young adults, or MBO students.

Advertising exposure remains another regulatory concern. The findings provide context for ongoing scrutiny of whether Dutch gambling promotions are reaching people under 24, despite special protections applying to this age group.

An earlier KSA investigation found that minors rarely registered directly with licensed operators. When access did occur, it was usually through an adult’s account. The regulator expressed greater concern about age-verification standards in the unlicensed market.

Findings Feed Into Wider Dutch Policy Review

The KSA will use the research to consider additional protections for minors and young adults. This work is being coordinated with the Ministry of Justice and Security as part of the Netherlands’ broader gambling-harm prevention programme.

In June, the Dutch government announced plans to tighten online gambling policy, including measures addressing the normalisation of gambling, safer product design, early risk detection, and improved access to support. Legislative changes will require further development and approval before implementation.